Arjun Sharma

Jammu, May 5

In a bid to promote tourism in border areas along China and Pakistan, the Ladakh administration has urged the Army to allow tourists coming from different parts of the country to visit villages close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the Line of Control (LoC).

While the LAC is shared between India and China in eastern parts of Ladakh, the LoC is shared with Pakistan. The villages where administration plans to push tourism along borders include Gogra-Hot Springs along the LAC and the Mushkoh valley in Drass close to the LoC.

Kacho Mehboob Ali Khan, Secretary, Tourism, Ladakh, recently reviewed the tourist flow in border areas and ordered establishment of police posts at required locations for the proper management of tourist movement where it is allowed.

“He has also urged Army’s 14 Corps based in Ladakh to issue a written communication on the opening of Marsamik-la and Gogra-Hot Springs for tourists,” a Ladakh administration official said.

The Ladakh Tourism Department has also urged the Army to expedite the process and allow tourist till a designated location in the Mushkoh valley of Drass.

Khan has asked the Ladakh police to establish checkposts at Demchok, Sasoma in the Nubra valley and the Siachan base camp in consultation with defence establishments by May 15 as tourist season has already started.

The department is also planning to gather the tourist data of the Upshi, Serchu and Shinku-la areas on a daily basis. Data will also be collected from the Rezang La War Memorial and the Kargil War Memorial to assess the exact number of tourists visiting these sites.

Khan said, “Efforts are being made to promote border tourism, which aims at the comprehensive development of villages in border parts of the country.”

Noor Mohammad, Block Development Council (BDC) Chairman, Drass, said some areas in the region were as beautiful as the Kashmir valley but due to restrictions, tourists were not allowed in many parts, including the famed Mushkoh valley where tulips grow in abundance.

“It is mostly the Drass region of Kargil which witnessed action during the Kargil war. We want to bring development to the region by boosting tourism in the area for which I have submitted many memorandums to the administration,” he added.